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<title>The Tragedy of Naboo’s Queens by softmoonlight</title>
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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27518671">The Tragedy of Naboo’s Queens</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/softmoonlight/pseuds/softmoonlight'>softmoonlight</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Whumptober 2020 [9]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Character Study, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Late Prompt Fills, Naboo Culture and Customs (Star Wars), Planet Naboo (Star Wars), Politics, Post-Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars: Queen's Shadow Series References, Whumptober, Whumptober 2020</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-08 05:06:54</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>337</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27518671</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/softmoonlight/pseuds/softmoonlight</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Apailana may be young, but she's in a position to take a stand.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Apailana &amp; Naboo Royal Handmaiden Characters, Padmé Amidala &amp; Apailana</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Whumptober 2020 [9]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1952500</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>32</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Whumptober, Whumptober 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Tragedy of Naboo’s Queens</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This was originally for one of my rarepair ficlets but then I realized tonally it was the exact opposite of where I was going story-wise. So this is a canon compliant little character study that functions as a late Whumptober fill (for day 11: defiance), and the other ficlet (if I ever write it) will be a fix-it. Plus I didn't want to forget my actual favorite thing to write, contrary to what my current account activity suggests: genfic</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"They're going to kill you," Emiliana hisses urgently, the moment their new "Moff", the traitor Panaka, leaves the room. "Do you understand that?"</p>
<p>Apailana does her best not to react too strongly. Merely inclines her head regally, fixing her closest handmaiden with a stare, and says nothing. After all, ever since Queen Amidala died, she has been nothing but the weeping girl to the general public, painting the tear into her makeup as a permanent fixture. Even without so many eyes on her, old habits die hard.</p>
<p>"All things die, and eventually I will be one of them," she acquiesces, ever the diplomat. Then, with a bit more fire, "but I will not be cowed by old, entitled bureaucrats and their ideas of what power means."</p>
<p>"This is <em>past</em> bureaucracy, milady—!" Emiliana falls silent at the sight of Panaka, already returned and now with the new Pantoran delegation in tow, but her sidelong glare sends the message anyway: <em>this isn't over.</em></p>
<p>Normally, Apailana wouldn't have it any other way. Except this is one of the few times she wishes all of her handmaidens would stick by her. Lately, however, they are all wavering; if not for their oaths, Apailana feels several of them would have left already. She wants to free them, but she knows her unwelcome surveillance would notice and move in instantly to sweep out the rest, making all of it for nothing.</p>
<p>Apailana wishes to spend every single one of her breaths left alive defying this so-called Empire, that took their beloved queen, her ever-so-brief mentor, <em>killed</em> her, and then expected them to believe the galaxy's <em>heroes</em>, of all people, had done it. No, she's not stupid; Amidala's death was too convenient for their...dear former senator, Emperor Palpatine, to not be connected to it. Apailana did not know Padmé Amidala well, but it is the principle of the thing. To hurt one Nabooian is to hurt them all.</p>
<p>If publicly mourning her still is a <em>crime</em>, then let her be executed for it.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A minor detail, but Emiliana's name is an homage to the Queen's Shadow series establishing that the handmaidens take a name to model after their queen's.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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